https://tinyurl.com/y3hhr73v
-- Six protomes arranged in a whorl m417 Mohenjo-daro seal are artisan specialists who worki in a guild with śrēṣṭhin 'guild-master' in smelting, alloying, casting, smithy/forge, turner/lapidary metalwork
I submit that six protomes on Mohenjo-daro seal m417 signify six metalwork specialists associated with a śrēṣṭhin'guild-master', signified by Sign 17, hieroglyph of baṭa 'warrior' rebus: bhaṭa 'furnace'.
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Examples of 'unicorn' with two horns:
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m1077 (after CISI 2:107)
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m232 (after CISI 1:57)
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This is an addendum to:
This is an addendum to: Indus script seals (5) with 5 hypertext narratives signify metal Guild-master, helmsman, supercargo's in charge of products out of smelter/furnace//smithy/forge http://tinyurl.com/hrud9v4
A protome (Greek προτομή) is a type of adornment that takes the form of the head and upper torso of either a human or an animal. Six such protomes are put together in a whorl on m417 with the 'stairs' as a connecting hieroglyph in the centre, connecting the six protomes. Unfortunately, the seal is broken. Three protomes are clearly visible: 1. 'Unicorn' with one curved horn; 2. 'Unicorn' with two zebu-like horns; 3. short-horned bull. 4. Horned tiger A fifth protome is also that of a 'unicorn' but the shape of horn(s) on this protome can only be guessed since this part of the seal is broken. Heads of the fifth and sixth protomes are also broken and can only be guessed.
One sign as a text message appears on this seal of six protomes.The sign (Sign 17) signifies a warrior with a staff on his left shoulder. The shoulders of the person are fused into a 'ficus glomerata'. One possible reading of this Sign 17 is: loa 'ficus glomerata' rebus: loh 'copper,metal' PLUS कर्णक karṇaka m. du. the two legs spread out AV. xx , 133 'spread legs'; (semantic ... कर्णक 'spread legs' rebus: कर्णक karṇaka 'helmsman', karṇi 'supercargo' lohakāra, lohakarṇaka
'metalsmith', metals helmsman or loha karṇi 'metals supercargo '. lōhakāra m. ʻ iron -- worker ʼ, ˚rī -- f., ˚raka -- m. lex., lauhakāra -- m. Hit. [lōhá -- , kāra -- 1 ]Pa. lōhakāra -- m. ʻ coppersmith, ironsmith ʼ; Pk. lōhāra -- m. ʻ blacksmith ʼ, S. luhā̆ru m., L. lohār m., ˚rī f., awāṇ. luhār, P. WPah.khaś. bhal. luhār m., Ku. lwār, N. B. lohār, Or. lohaḷa, Bi.Bhoj. Aw.lakh. lohār, H. lohār, luh˚ m., G. lavār m., M. lohār m.; Si. lōvaru ʻ coppersmith ʼ.Addenda: lōhakāra -- : WPah.kṭg. (kc.) lhwāˋr m. ʻ blacksmith ʼ, lhwàri f. ʻ his wife ʼ, Garh. lwār m. (CDIAL 11159) These Meluhha pronunciation variants and semantics signify that lōhakāra is ʻcoppersmith, ironsmithʼ (Phonetic form attested in Pali).
This rebus reading indicates that the six protomes of the Mohenjo-daro seal whorl m417 relate to the work of a metalsmith. Based on this inference, the clearly identifiable protomes can be read rebus:
1. 'Unicorn' with one horn: kār-kunda 'adroit, clever, experienced, director,manager'.کار کند kār-kund (corrup. of P کار کن ) adj. Adroit, clever, experienced. 2. A director, a manager; کار کنده kār-kundaʿh. (Pashto). A crumpled, twisted horn is mer̥ha deren rebus: meḍ 'iron' (Mu.Ho.) med 'copper' (Slavic) PLuS kunda 'turner, lapidary'. Thus, a metalwork manager is signified.
2. 'Unicorn' with two horns: khōṇḍa m A young bullcundakāra -- : kunda -- 1 , kará -- 1 ]A. kundār, B. kũdār, ˚ri, Or. kundāru; H. kũderā m. ʻ one who works a lathe, one who scrapes ʼ, ˚rī f., kũdernā ʻ to scrape, plane, round on a lathe ʼ.(CDIAL 3297) Thus, the workshop of a lapidary is signified.
3. Short-horned bull: barad, balad, 'ox' rebus: bharata 'metal alloy' (5 copper, 4 zinc and 1 tin). Thus, an alloysmith is signified.
4. Tiger without horns: kola 'tiger' rebus: kol 'working in iron' kolhe 'smelter'Thus, an iron smelter is signified.
5 and 6 protomes: Broken. One guess is that they may signify elephant and zebu. If so, the readings are: karibha, ibha 'elephant' rebus: karba, ib 'iron'; pola 'zebu' rebus: pola 'magnetite,ferrite ore'. Thus protomes 5 and 6 may signify iron smithy and magnetite metalwork. The basis for guessing the missing protomes as elephant and zebu is based on a composite animal of Mohenjo-daro seal m1175 which signifies the horns of a zebu and the trunk of an elephant ligatured to a human face:
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m1175
Thus, all the six protomes on m417, together with only one sign, Sign 17 signifying a warrior, may convey the message of lōhakāra 'coppersmith, ironsmith'with distinct categories of artisans with distinct professional specialisations in working with: 1. lathe; 2. smithy/forge; 3. alloymmetal equipment workshop; 4. smelter or metalcasting workshop; 5. iron smithy; 6. magnetite metalwork.
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Many variants of this 'warrior' hieroglyph have been identified in Indus Script Corpora. The rebus reading is: baṭa'warrior' rebus: bhaṭa'furnace'. his single sign hieroglyph signifies that 'furnacework' is common to all the six artisan specialists signified by the six protomes.![]()
Sign variants of Sign 17 of ASI 1977 Mahadevan Sign List![]()
The ladder which unites the six protomes is: *śrētrī ʻ ladder ʼ. [Cf. śrētr̥ -- ʻ one who has recourse to ʼ MBh. -- Seeśrití -- . -- √śri ]Ash. ċeitr ʻ ladder ʼ (< *ċaitr -- dissim. from ċraitr -- ?).(CDIAL 12720) *śrēṣṭrī2 ʻ line, ladder ʼ. [For mng. ʻ line ʼ conn. with √śriṣ 2 cf. śrḗṇi -- ~ √śri. -- See śrití -- . -- √śriṣ 2 ]Pk. sēḍhĭ̄ -- f. ʻ line, row ʼ (cf. pasēḍhi -- f. ʻ id. ʼ. -- < EMIA. *sēṭhī -- sanskritized as śrēḍhī -- , śrēṭī -- , śrēḍī<-> (Col.), śrēdhī -- (W.) f. ʻ a partic. progression of arithmetical figures ʼ); K. hēr, dat. °ri f. ʻ ladder ʼ.(CDIAL 12724) Rebus: śrēṣṭhin m. ʻ distinguished man ʼ AitBr., ʻ foreman of a guild ʼ, °nī -- f. ʻ his wife ʼ Hariv. [śrḗṣṭha -- ]Pa. seṭṭhin -- m. ʻ guild -- master ʼ, Dhp. śeṭhi, Pk. seṭṭhi -- , siṭṭhi -- m., °iṇī -- f.; S. seṭhi m. ʻ wholesale merchant ʼ; P. seṭh m. ʻ head of a guild, banker ʼ, seṭhaṇ, °ṇī f.; Ku.gng. śēṭh ʻ rich man ʼ; N. seṭh ʻ banker ʼ; B. seṭh ʻ head of a guild, merchant ʼ; Or. seṭhi ʻ caste of washermen ʼ; Bhoj. Aw.lakh. sēṭhi ʻ merchant, banker ʼ, H. seṭh m., °ṭhan f.; G. śeṭh, śeṭhiyɔ m. ʻ wholesale merchant, employer, master ʼ; M.śeṭh, °ṭhī, śeṭ, °ṭī m. ʻ respectful term for banker or merchant ʼ; Si. siṭu, hi° ʻ banker, nobleman ʼ H. Smith JA 1950, 208 (or < śiṣṭá -- 2 ?)(CDIAL 12726)
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See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2016/06/antithetical-antelopes-indus-script.html The hieroglyphs on the Kuwait Museum gold disc.
-- Six protomes arranged in a whorl m417 Mohenjo-daro seal are artisan specialists who worki in a guild with śrēṣṭhin 'guild-master' in smelting, alloying, casting, smithy/forge, turner/lapidary metalwork
I submit that six protomes on Mohenjo-daro seal m417 signify six metalwork specialists associated with a śrēṣṭhin'guild-master', signified by Sign 17, hieroglyph of baṭa 'warrior' rebus: bhaṭa 'furnace'.
One-horned unicorn statuette from Chanhu-daro, now in Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (after Kenoyer 1998: 220 no 132). It is clear from this animal figurine in the round that one-horn is the ligature which signifies a 'unicorn' on Indus Script Corpora. This also conforms that 'one-horn' is a ligature which is signified by the expression: mer̥ha deren'crumpled horn' used to signify meḍ 'iron' (Mu.Ho.) med 'copper' and medhā 'yajna,dhanam' realisedby the expertise of کار کنده kār-kundaʿh. (Pashto). A crumpled, twisted horn is mer̥ha deren rebus: meḍ 'iron' (Mu.Ho.) med 'copper' (Slavic) PLuS kunda 'turner, lapidary' who acquires for the guild, kunda'treasure'.
Examples of 'unicorn' with two horns:
m1077 (after CISI 2:107)
m232 (after CISI 1:57)
‘Unicorn’ with two horns on tablet H-697B (after CISI2:316)
This is an addendum to:
This is an addendum to: Indus script seals (5) with 5 hypertext narratives signify metal Guild-master, helmsman, supercargo's in charge of products out of smelter/furnace//smithy/forge http://tinyurl.com/hrud9v4
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Hypertext narrative of a seal with six protomes: Seal of a Metal guild-master. Hieroglyph: śrēṣṭrī 'ladder' Rebus: śrēṣṭhin, seṭh ʻ head of a guild, Members of the guild (working with a furnace) are: blacksmith, turner, smelter, coppersmith, ironsmith (magnetite ore), Supercargo who is a representative of the ship's owner on board a merchant ship, responsible for overseeing the cargo and its sale.
A protome (Greek προτομή) is a type of adornment that takes the form of the head and upper torso of either a human or an animal. Six such protomes are put together in a whorl on m417 with the 'stairs' as a connecting hieroglyph in the centre, connecting the six protomes. Unfortunately, the seal is broken. Three protomes are clearly visible: 1. 'Unicorn' with one curved horn; 2. 'Unicorn' with two zebu-like horns; 3. short-horned bull. 4. Horned tiger A fifth protome is also that of a 'unicorn' but the shape of horn(s) on this protome can only be guessed since this part of the seal is broken. Heads of the fifth and sixth protomes are also broken and can only be guessed.
One sign as a text message appears on this seal of six protomes.The sign (Sign 17) signifies a warrior with a staff on his left shoulder. The shoulders of the person are fused into a 'ficus glomerata'. One possible reading of this Sign 17 is: loa 'ficus glomerata' rebus: loh 'copper,metal' PLUS कर्णक karṇaka m. du. the two legs spread out AV. xx , 133 'spread legs'; (semantic ... कर्णक 'spread legs' rebus: कर्णक karṇaka 'helmsman', karṇi 'supercargo' lohakāra, lohakarṇaka
'metalsmith', metals helmsman or loha karṇi 'metals supercargo '. lōhakāra m. ʻ iron -- worker ʼ, ˚rī -- f., ˚raka -- m. lex., lauhakāra -- m. Hit. [
This rebus reading indicates that the six protomes of the Mohenjo-daro seal whorl m417 relate to the work of a metalsmith. Based on this inference, the clearly identifiable protomes can be read rebus:
1. 'Unicorn' with one horn: kār-kunda 'adroit, clever, experienced, director,manager'.
2. 'Unicorn' with two horns: khōṇḍa m A young bull
3. Short-horned bull: barad, balad, 'ox' rebus: bharata 'metal alloy' (5 copper, 4 zinc and 1 tin). Thus, an alloysmith is signified.
4. Tiger without horns: kola 'tiger' rebus: kol 'working in iron' kolhe 'smelter'Thus, an iron smelter is signified.
5 and 6 protomes: Broken. One guess is that they may signify elephant and zebu. If so, the readings are: karibha, ibha 'elephant' rebus: karba, ib 'iron'; pola 'zebu' rebus: pola 'magnetite,ferrite ore'. Thus protomes 5 and 6 may signify iron smithy and magnetite metalwork. The basis for guessing the missing protomes as elephant and zebu is based on a composite animal of Mohenjo-daro seal m1175 which signifies the horns of a zebu and the trunk of an elephant ligatured to a human face:
m1175Thus, all the six protomes on m417, together with only one sign, Sign 17 signifying a warrior, may convey the message of lōhakāra 'coppersmith, ironsmith'with distinct categories of artisans with distinct professional specialisations in working with: 1. lathe; 2. smithy/forge; 3. alloymmetal equipment workshop; 4. smelter or metalcasting workshop; 5. iron smithy; 6. magnetite metalwork.
Many variants of this 'warrior' hieroglyph have been identified in Indus Script Corpora. The rebus reading is: baṭa'warrior' rebus: bhaṭa'furnace'. his single sign hieroglyph signifies that 'furnacework' is common to all the six artisan specialists signified by the six protomes.
Sign variants of Sign 17 of ASI 1977 Mahadevan Sign List
Source: Character mapping of Indus Font at http://mohenjodaroonline.net/index.php/indus-script
The ladder which unites the six protomes is: *śrētrī ʻ ladder ʼ. [Cf. śrētr̥ -- ʻ one who has recourse to ʼ MBh. -- See
This denotes a mason (artisan) guild -- seni -- of 1. brass-workers; 2. blacksmiths; 3. iron-workers; 4. copper-workers; 5. native metal workers; 6. workers in alloys.
Circular seal of Bahrain found at Lothal. miṇḍāl